APPLING, Ga. — The PDGA World Championships are the most prestigious events on the disc golf calendar, and the PDGA recognizes the importance of ensuring that international invitees have every possible opportunity to participate.
Due to the continually evolving status of international travel restrictions, the PDGA will be holding 30 spots for non-North American MPO invitees and 15 spots for non-North American FPO invitees at the 2021 Professional World Disc Golf Championships, set for June 22-26 in Ogden, Utah.
After feedback from tournament directors and competitors and input from the PDGA Medical Committee, the PDGA has made two updates to its Requirements and Best Practices For Sanctioned Play During COVID-19. Both changes pertain to water on the course and now read as follows:
Event Operational Best Practices 2.2.L
Previous version: Events should avoid the use of communal water stations.
PDGA World Championship events are the premier Major tournaments in disc golf, a vital display of the international growth of and participation in the sport. The COVID-19 pandemic, unfortunately, has thrown the status of these events into a morass of uncertainty this year. As we begin the process of resuming sanctioning, we want to address the varied questions and concerns about these tournaments in an effort to keep our members informed.
Due to several factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the final two events of the 2020 PDGA National Tour. All six tournaments -- the Texas State Disc Golf Championships, Dynamic Discs Glass Blown Open, Santa Cruz Masters Cup, Beaver State Fling, Delaware Disc Golf Challenge, and Music City Open -- will return to the circuit in 2021.
Competitors maintained their distance at Bluff Out the Back, a C-Tier in West Point, Utah, that marked the return of PDGA-sanctioned play. Photo: Shawn Swapp
After the coronavirus pandemic caused a two-month hiatus that canceled or postponed 645 events, 36 eager competitors flocked to a golf course in West Point, Utah, Monday night for the official return of PDGA-sanctioned play.
With conditions surrounding the novel coronavirus pandemic improving in certain regions and some areas seeing sporting events resume, the PDGA Board of Directors has approved a five-step process that will allow for a phased reinstatement of sanctioning to begin.
This process takes effect immediately and will be in place until further notice. As a result, all events scheduled after May 14, 2020, will be placed into reserved status with sanctioning pending. These events will be allowed to run as soon as local directives permit organized, competitive sporting events to resume.
As of August 20, 2020, PDGA sanctioning is available in all regions where local governance allows such an activity. Event Directors, players, and all event participants are expected to remain in accordance with local guidance and policies at all times. If there is uncertainty whether the event is allowed in a particular region, event organizers must contact their local authorities for approval, prior to sanctioning their event.
With the reduction of the available scheduling time remaining in 2020, the PDGA has made the following changes to the PDGA Tour Standards effective immediately for the remainder of the 2020 year.
On Wednesday, May 6, 2020, PDGA Board of Directors President Justin Menickelli issued the following message to PDGA members:
We appreciate PDGA members, and disc golfers everywhere, who took our “Skip the Course. Stay Home” message to heart. We know that you miss playing, but your unselfish actions contributed to slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus. We’ve also been inspired by your creativity. We have enjoyed seeing the wellspring of backyard courses, virtual putting competitions, and other unique disc golf competitions that have kept us entertained on social media throughout the pandemic. Our community, while one that generally thrives on being together in person, has also flourished while being apart.
As of April 16, 2020, the number of PDGA staff members and contract support has been reduced by more than half. The affected employees have been temporarily furloughed and will rejoin the staff once standard operations, including sanctioning, resume. During this period furloughed employees won’t be paid; however, they will retain their critical health benefits.
“I have always said we have the best staff around, and that has been reinforced throughout this whole process,” PDGA Board of Directors President Justin Menickelli said. “We are grateful to all of our staff members and consider them family, and we will welcome them back with open arms once we are on the other side of this crisis.”
Angelo Mascia, left, with his fellow WeDGE members Dan Trauger, David Kimmelman, Derek Stoltenberg, and Rob Worrell in the days before social distancing. Courtesy photo
The term “hero” has taken on new meaning these days. Some say it’s the woman delivering your order from Amazon or the guy knocking on your door with a hot pizza.
Well, how about an emergency room doctor in New York City who saves lives for a living? One who also happens to be a co-founder and leader of a successful, active disc golf club, the Westchester Disc Golf Enthusiasts (WeDGE)?
Madison Walker has battled a string of injuries but has used visualization and breathing strategies to come back stronger. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended life for many, forcing millions on stay-at-home orders to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. And while it pales in comparison to the loss of life, staggering unemployment numbers, and broken social ties, disc golfers are still feeling the impact.
Simon Lizotte gives his tips for breaking down your driving form, including when to grab the right freeze frames. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended life for many, forcing millions of people on stay-at-home orders to stop the spread of this novel coronavirus. And while it pales in comparison to the loss of life, staggering unemployment numbers, and broken social ties, disc golfers are still feeling the impact.
A.J. Risley offers his intentional putting practice as a strategy disc golfers can employ away from the course. Photo: Eino Ansio
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended life for many, forcing millions of people on stay-at-home orders to stop the spread of this novel coronavirus. And while it pales in comparison to the loss of life, staggering unemployment numbers, and broken social ties, disc golfers are still feeling the impact.
The 2020 PDGA United States Women’s Disc Golf Championships (USWDGC) have been postponed due to the uncertainty regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was set to take place May 22-24 in Northern California.
To our loyal and passionate members around the world, thank you for your continued support and dedication to the PDGA during these very difficult and uncertain times. The world is experiencing an unprecedented health crisis that impacts the lives of each and every individual. While it seems small by comparison, our global disc golf community has also been significantly affected by this pandemic.
In order to provide tournament staff, players, and local authorities more time to assess the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic, registration for the 2020 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships has been delayed until April 17, 2020.
Additionally, registration will now occur on a condensed schedule by both timeline and player rating:
This amendment will remain in effect for all PDGA events sanctioned as of 3/12/2020, that are taking place between 3/12/2020 and 12/31/2020. This policy will be reviewed, and if deemed necessary, be renewed or modified for events in 2021 no later than 11/1/2020.
The International Disc Golf Center, which is housed in Wildwood Park in Appling, Georgia, and serves as the PDGA's global headquarters, will be closed to visitors and staff beginning Wednesday, March 18, 2020. This directive was issued by the Columbia County Board of Commissioners, which oversees park and other public safety activity in the region, and will extend through April 6, 2020, at the earliest.
As a result, the three courses at the International Disc Golf Center and the IDGC Pro Shop will be closed, and PDGA staff will not be onsite. Additionally, entrance to Wildwood Park will not be allowed.
PDGA staff is sad to confirm that the Santa Cruz Masters Cup, the third stop on the 2020 PDGA National Tour from May 15-17, has been canceled due to concerns with COVID-19, the novel coronavirus pandemic. An additional statement from Tournament Director Matt Beatty will be provided on Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. PDT on the Santa Cruz Masters Cup Facebook page.
We thank Beatty and his staff for their dedication to not only the event, but to the health and safety of the Bay Area community. This is an unprecedented situation and we are grateful for their flexibility.
The College Disc Golf National Championship, a PDGA Major set to take place from April 1-4 at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, has been postponed indefinitely. College Disc Golf Development Manager John Baker issued the following statement:
We are disappointed to announce the 2020 College Disc Golf National Championship is postponed indefinitely due to the potential risks involving the Coronavirus.
The Professional Disc Golf Association is monitoring the outbreak of COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) and evaluating its potential impact on our membership across 43 countries on six continents, as well as disc golfers everywhere.
